Founder and chief executive officer
Midwest Games
1025 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay
Employees: 4
midwestgames.com
In August, former Netflix executive and Wisconsin native Ben Kvalo officially launched Midwest Games, a Green Bay-based video game publisher operating out of the offices of venture capital firm TitletownTech. The company aims to create opportunities for tech and creative talent across the Midwest and other underrepresented regions. Midwest Games’ debut product, called RA RA BOOM, is currently being developed by Cincinnati-based Gylee Games. RA RA BOOM is described by the company as “an eye-catching, distinctive, fast-paced four-player co-op beat ‘em up driven by a meaningful and emotional coming-of-age narrative about a group of ninja cheerleaders from space in a fight to save the rest of humanity on Earth.” BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Ashley Smart caught up with Kvalo to learn what inspired him to start Midwest Games and what lies ahead for the company. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What made you leave Wisconsin to work for Netflix?
“I went into radio for a little bit here in Wisconsin, so that was really my first foray into the entertainment world. After that, I was thinking, ‘What do I really want to do?’ and I ended up going into video games with a company called 2K. They hired me and asked if I could be in San Francisco in two weeks. I left the Midwest just because there weren’t any opportunities in this space, especially at that time. I was at 2K for about six years. Then, I moved to southern California to work at Blizzard. From there I went to Netflix. They were just building their films division at the time, and I was their first hire in the marketing/operations team for films. I did that for three years and helped lead marketing campaigns for films like ‘Birdbox’ and ‘Army of the Dead.’ And then Netflix decided to get into games. I joined that team on like day two and helped build the games division from the ground up. I did that for two years and decided I’d been building a lot for other companies, but I felt there was an opportunity in the Midwest.”
How’d you get connected with TitletownTech?
“I had been doing some things with UW-Green Bay. They connected me to TitletownTech, and I started to advise a couple of their startups. They had two investments that were in the game space, and they were also curious about getting advice for some of the founders around building culture. Netflix is really known for its outstanding culture. I just happened to be on a trip (to TitletownTech) and said, ‘Hey, I have this idea.’ They really ran with it with me. I had this idea in my head, and I put it down in a presentation but they really helped me get the ball rolling.”
What resources does Midwest Games provide video game developers?
“There are three main pillars in the video game industry. There are the developers who make the games. Those are the engineers, the writers, the artists and the designers. Then, there are the publishers. Those are the folks that are taking these games that are being developed and either helping to fund them or providing marketing support. We provide that as well as go-to-market strategy. There’s also production support, localization support, quality assurance, a lot of services that help the game get delivered to market in the best possible way to the largest audience possible. We do all of that ultimately to deliver to the platform, which is the third piece of this. We help them strategize what platforms to go to.”
What kind of games is the company looking to publish?
“We are not a genre publisher. We are looking to help support folks in underserved regions, developers who are often overlooked. The Midwest is vastly underserved and there’s a lot of talent here that isn’t getting the kinds of deals that are being done elsewhere. About 67% of the industry is in three states: California, Washington and Texas. Really, we’re not limited to genres or location. But we are a bit limited in the amount that we’re spending. We have a budget range we go for, and we’re focused on indie games and what is called the ‘Double-A’ space, mid-tier games.”
What made Gylee Games a good partner for Midwest Games?
“We initially had a casual conversation but ended up just connecting on such a deep level with the fact that we could be doing more in the Midwest. They’re in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they’re facing some of the same challenges. The studio head there was negotiating with several other publishers at the time, but I think that really started our path forward together. We were just so aligned with the vision of bringing some of these things to the Midwest and really planting our flag in the ground and saying we can do this here and prove it.”
How many games a year does Midwest Games hope to publish?
“Our pipeline is going to start forming as we go to new events and as we go to new developers. It could probably be anywhere in between three to five titles a year. We’ll see, it’s so early on that it’s hard to tell. Our bigger thing is, any title we’re helping put out, we want to make sure we’re putting the effort behind it. We’re not just spreading our dollars as thin as possible across as many titles as possible.”
Are you talking to any developers in Wisconsin?
“We are talking to developers all over. What’s amazing about this is there’s talent everywhere. Now that we’ve planted out flag in the ground people are coming a bit out of the woodwork. We’re getting pitches from developers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. We’re not only getting pitches from the Midwest, but we’re also getting them from other states like New Mexico. There are so many underserved regions around the world.”
What is it about video games that resonates with you so much?
“Anybody and everybody is a gamer in one way or another. Sometimes it’s super casual. Other times it’s a lot more hardcore. For me, what I just love is that video games provide a place you can just interact with. You can create worlds and, in some ways, just escape. So few mediums can do that and tell such great stories. There are no limitations, as long as we imagine these new worlds.”
What are your goals for the company in the next year?
“Our big goal, first and foremost, is making RA RA BOOM an incredible success – and it can be. Another big focus is finding and supporting more developers. It’s not about one, but many. We’re trying to build this ecosystem in the Midwest. We are also continuing to build this company and continuing to expand and forge incredible partnerships around the world.”
[caption id="attachment_577470" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
A screenshot of Midwest Games’ first project, RA RA BOOM. The game is being developed by Gylee Games.[/caption]
